St. Clair Shores revives pond hockey tourney

Cancelled last year due to unusually warm weather, the Nautical Mile Pond Hockey Winter Classic is back on the 2013 calendar for Jan. 25-27 in St. Clair Shores.

Organizers were forced to first postpone and then cancel the inaugural 4-on-4 adult competition because of a lack of ice on the Lake St. Clair canal next to Brownie’s on the Lake restaurant where the tournament was to take place.

Will ice cover the canal in the next couple of months?

“That’s a good question,” said Greg Esler, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, which is coordinating the event.

“We hear the long-range forecast has called for cold conditions and heavy snowfall, which is what we want, but whether or not we get it, we’ll have to wait and see,” he said.

According to the National Weather Service, the average date in the Detroit area for 1 inch or more of snow is Nov. 30 and the average date for 3 inches or more is Dec. 26. The weather service’s long-range forecast indicates cold weather will be in place in mid-January.

The ice on the harbor needs to be 4 inches thick to support people and 6 inches to hold machinery or trucks such as a Zamboni.

The good news that came out of last year’s cancellation is organizers have a head start in laying out the groundwork for volunteer assignments, sponsors, and other logistics, Esler said.

“From that point of view, we’re ahead of last year’s pace because we have experience in setting up the event even though we had to cancel it,” Esler said.

So far, 26 teams have already signed up. Organizers hope to have between 64 and 72 teams in the end. Last year, there was a waiting list, so organizers feel they will be able to fill the roster once word of the tournament gets out.

Nate Ray, general manager of Brownie’s, said plans are underway to add live entertainment at the restaurant during the tournament weekend.

Other winter-related activities for the family will be added to the schedule as the tournament date nears, according to Donna Flaherty, president of the Nautical Mile Merchants Association.

“I know everyone along the Nautical Mile is looking forward to this event taking place,” Flaherty said. “We need the cold weather and snow, not only for the pond hockey but for the lake levels. I know a lot of boaters are praying for more snow so our lake levels will be up next spring.”

For more information, call the St. Clair Shores Parks and Recreation Department at 586-445-5350 or email pondhockey@scsmi.net.